NEW ZEALAND SPEECH

New Zealand Listener, Volume 39, Issue 988, 25 July 1958, Page 11

NEW ZEALAND SPEECH

Sir, — Your correspondent, L. UD. Austin, need not feel so disturbed. No one here, I am sure, is condoning bad speech. But neither do we care for the characterless, imitative variety, for we maintain that there is a type of New Zealand speech that is both pleasant and characteristic. I think most teachers of elocution in this country would agree that the first requirement of expression is sincerity, in true harmony with the life and temperament of our people, and that a false standard does not encourage the desire for better speech. It would be ridiculous, for instance, to expect our sturdy young colonial Huck Finns to speak like little Fauntleroys. Yet it is true that the flattened and distorted vowel sounds cited by Mr Austin are not pleasant, and could do with a little renovation. Other common faults in our speech are slurred or mumbled consonants and monotony of expression. These could best be rectified, I believe, by encouraging our young people to express with confidence their individual ideas, unhampered by the critical attitude so often shown by their elders-a fear of non-conformity and an unquestioning awe of authority that are the more dreary remnants of our mainly middle-class British inheritance. Any standards accepted by New iy oan either in speech or modes of iving, should be modified and adapted to our own requirements. and infused with the colour of our individuality. This would be far better for our national character than a slavish following of’ the standards of another way of life-however much we man admira them.

WILLOW

MACKY

(Auckland).

Sir,-L. D. Austin is to be applauded for the remedy he offers for correction of speech in children. English spoken by the educated Maori is a sheer joy to the ear. The learning of Maori works also serves the twofold purpose of providing a basic understanding of Maori names and culture as well as eliminating distorted vowel sounds. (This would be particularly helpful for parents like myself from England or elsewhere who are still struggling to discover correct pronunciation of Maori place names when several versions are offered by the average New Zealander.) Recently I was horrified to hear a high school teacher, with a degree, not only distort her vowel sounds but also punctuate her speech with "ay." A Bay of Plenty habit I have discovered, common in a large number of peoplehardly an interjection, it expresses neither doubt, surprise nor a questioncan it be explained as a form of Pidgin

English or Maori?

P.

T.

(Whakatane).